Original Chargers minority owner George Pernicano dies at 98

SAN DIEGO - George Pernicano, one of the five original San Diego Chargers minority owners who purchased interest in the team in 1963, has died, the team said. He was 98.

The Chargers said in a release that Pernicano was surrounded by family at his home in El Cajon, California, when he passed away early Thursday.

Pernicano helped Jack Murphy and other prominent San Diego residents persuade Los Angeles Chargers owner Barron Hilton to move the team to San Diego in 1961. Pernicano was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame on Sept. 8, 1996.

''George was more than a Chargers icon; he was a San Diego institution,'' Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a statement. ''Everyone in NFL circles loved George and he loved being around the team and the players.''

Services are pending.